Adam fell to the ground dead but not with finality. Rory Harris grabbed the bottle and the Benelli he kept loaded in the trunk, and headed for the school library he remembered Xander as spending time at to void the folks. 'The boy sure has done wonders with his life, I hope he's made it through tonight's craziness.'
Street and Sanchez gasped as the magic left them back I control of themselves, injured but unlike their team likely to survive. Their 'possessors' have done a fair job at tending of wounds, they reclaimed gear from their comrades and inched to the library.
The ruination that used to be the Sunnydale High School Library was a place of quiet contemplation as Xander Harris took tentative charge and directed them in clean up, first aid, and moving the bodies outside in a respectful manner.
Andy Hoelich called over to a Xander Harris whom he could still feel, even as he died, that Xander was actively used Palpatine's skills to draw in the Force-Essence still permeating the area, of living and dead force-wielders, Dark and Light alike.
"Harris," the young gymnast called out, "put my hands on your head and yours on mine." Xander looked shocked, beginning to understand what was intended, "I'm dying Harris…Xander, and I feel all the power but sense no real Jedi training in you. You need my memories of Luke, all of them…until he dies at a…very old age, to prevent the rise…of the Dark Side. And if you remember me as well, that's good too."
Xander gulped and did as he was bade, and soon he had the memories of the Refounder of the Jedi Order with those of the others.
"I swear to you, Andy…and Luke, that the Dark Side will not prevail while I live," Xander stated quietly, turning and facing a confused and saddened Cordelia, "Cordelia, I'm sorry for your…loss," referring to her having dressed as Mara Jade and because of the spell Mara Jade Skywalker.
Most, even the cheerleaders, didn't have many qualms at this point, the fatigue taking the edge off of squeamishness. Cordelia wept openly as they moved Harmony, fellow-cheerleader Dawn, Devon, and the others away from the middle of the room. Darla helped for a few minutes, then just wandered off, feeling strong but not caring as she headed for the Mayor's house through the chaos-blooded streets of Sunnydale. Warren seemed too annoyed and fatigued to notice the growing strength of Alexander Harris, standing on the Hell Mouth.
Several of the Immortals that had been badly injured, had luckily come back to life before the spell ended and in good-enough shape as to not need transport to the hospital immediately, and helped to set things better than they'd been. Oz comforted Amber, who wouldn't let him go, crying that she didn't care if he wasn't Han, she was scared.
Edith and Angel cried out with joy and hugged each other before turning to Xander, and telling him they now seemed to be human, their temporary quickenings healing the dead bodies even as the demons had left their bodies.
Rory wandered in and set his new friend Adam on the counter, hoping that like some of the others he'd seen, he'd wake up again. Xander saw him and tiredly walked over. The two Harrises embraced, glad to see the other alive as Adam gasped and sat up.
"Where am I?" the really old guy asked, reaching for Rory's bottle, "And you feel like Ramirez, but older, how?"
"This weird Halloween where those of us who dressed up, suddenly became our costumes," Xander sighed, "Which means most of the popular adventure shows of the last decade or so have put in an appearance, but the real question, is how did you come to be in this world?"
"I was drinking a beer and talking with Macleod and the others about how we'd be able to survive Jacob Kell, when all of a sudden, the floor cracks open, but when I crawl out, I'm in your quaint little American town fighting vampires and participating in what seemed to be the Gathering?"
"Close, but since we're all here, I guess that'll wait for now," he sighed again as the Police Station veterans entered the library.
"Buffy! I'm human now!" Angel called out and ran over to embrace his sorta girlfriend, who smiled but was too tired to react much more.
"That's wonderful!" she responded, then sat down, "Wow!"
Street and Sanchez followed behind, helped by the former Jedi of both types to find a sitting position to rest. Cordelia came over to the core group and had Doyle lift her up to sit on the counter before speaking.
"I don't know what happened, but that's the worst so far…"
"Miss Chase?" an English voice asked before she could go on, "I'm Wesley Wyndham-Price of the Watchers Council, it's a pleasure to meet you. And this is your great-great uncle Sir David Chase, Alice's uncle…"
"Hey, didn't you try to kidnap me!"
"Not exactly, Miss Chase, Alice…"
"Hey, You think I'm that Slayer Alice Chase!" Cordelia went off on a rant, turning to the group, "I'm as much Alice Chase as Xander is …" she looked in horror at her blouse and then at the others in realization as the pain of memories overwhelmed her, "Ahhhhh!"
"Damn it!" Cordelia cried, picking up heavy books and hurling them with Slayer strength at the young Brit, "Look what you did! Now I'm stuck like Buffy, but I'm so not having anything to do with you kidnapping bastards!"
An older British man of some bearing came forward, approached Xander, and just stared at him for a moment, "Well, father, you turned out well."
"John Paul? Jacky!" Xander smiled in realization that the elderly man was indeed his son, stepping forward and calling over to his fiancées, "Wills, Ampa, it's my son Johnny with us!"
The crowd showed some actual pleasure, most being just possessed by Immortals who'd fostered mortal children, being those most congratulatory.
"This is amazing!" Xander said reverting to a British accent as his enthusiasm drew on his previous incarnation, "So are you also a Watcher, lad?"
"Not any more, father, though in theory I'm supposed to encourage you to come home to England with your slayer for a while," he smiled sadly, "But I think there have come to light many more important priorities this night, hmm?"
"So, Xander," Buffy began, "Does this make you a Duke or something?"
"Gods no! Never again," the young-seeming man assured her, "Though I expect to maybe find an invitation to Christmas in the posts." All could see the deep joy and love between the two age-estranged men, the current Duke to his colleagues seeming much younger and energetic than before the trip.
"Well, son, let's get things here taken care of first, then we'll talk some more. I'm sorry about the casualties to your people, but they had no right or precedent for being in Sunnydale."
Forty minutes later, the Library and surrounding grounds had been secured and bodies respectfully covered and identified as possible, the students secreting the weapons in the cage for the time being, and as Hondo, Street and Sanchez as real cops, were able to lend authority to Xander's 'suggestions.'
They came up with truthful accounts to the meetings between everybody and altered things as to the deceased, and Willow and others were able to type in the reports and sign them, 'As to the best of ability to explain the strange goings-on…'
Kyle and the packs showed up, as did the remaining surviving members of the greater group. Captain Holz, wounded, pulled himself off the floor and carefully watched as the human version of Angelus interacted with the others while Holz himself assisted the remaining Watcher personnel toward medical stabilization, earning the respect and thanks of Michaels and a couple of others. Holz found himself amazed as the young man in charge seemed able to direct a pack of wolves in helping out
He also watched as the dark-clad officer finally approached Harris and moved as if to challenge, but backed down and left after seeming to sense something Holz could not but which had wolves backing away.
Xander grouped everyone together, collected the signed statements, then suggested that as inconvenient as it might be for many of them, considering what Sunnydale seemed to have gone through, that perhaps digging out any emergency materials would be a better idea, both for those in the Library, and others at the school who might be in need.
Traumatized, most nodded and allowed themselves to be led by a few coherent individuals, including Jenny Calendar, Street, Sanchez, Wesley Wyndham-Price, Justin Travers, Michaels and Captain Holz. Xander made sure to walk over and thank the Watcher-associating adults personally and made suggestions as to where materials might be cached. Turning to Rory and a revived Methos, he suggested Edith and Marcie accompany them to get the cafeteria fired up and running, maybe soup and a lot of it.
"Joyce, do you have any of Grace Chandel's surgical skills still?" he asked the still somewhat shocked woman, who nodded, "We'll go over everything that's happened later, but please take Kendra, Dawn and Doyle with you as medics to check outside, Jonathan and Andrew, provide assistance as well. Thank you." He sighed and continued, "Sherman, I need a human to go with Magnus and his wolves to let the Police know we're trying to set up the school as a safe spot and are firing up the kitchen but need somebody to get a call out for blankets and such like if this were an earthquake. Kyle, with your four, take holy water and just do patrols and quick-checks of school grounds, don't split up; get radios from Flutie's office and as you come across our groups, hand one out so we can know what's happening. Thanks guys, everybody…go."
Willow, Ampa, Marcie, Cordelia, Giles, Buffy, Angel and Amy remained unassigned in the library with Xander, ostensibly as a reserve force, as did the two old Watchers.
"So, congrats on the humanity, Live Boy," Xander began, "Any body else have anything we need to know about?"
"I-I think I'm visible again, for real," Marcie smiled, receiving encouraging noises from the group, "And I remember how to use a sword and stuff that the Reagan Cole character did."
"I think I'm completely human again, too," Ampa quietly suggested, receiving hugs from her two betrotheds, "So I'm free of…you know." She exchanged smiles with Angel, who from hugging Buffy held her hand and squeezed encouragingly.
The others admitted to memories and possibly skills from their experienced possessors, and before getting to himself, he turned to his son and David Chase, who'd remained quiet.
"Gentlemen, I must tell you that I am taking control of the Watcher's Council activity on the Hell Mouth, not the least of which is by reason that I am a member of law enforcement and do not recognize the 'secular' authority of the Council on American soil and know enough about the Council to set it back if not outright cripple it with the expedient of revelation. That said, I'm limiting myself to the United States, and specifically California. I'm even willing to accept those two young trainees in a support and liaison capacity. I have to let you know, however, that in addition to Kendra, Buffy and now Cordelia, as my charges I also seem to have the other Summers daughter and if I can get through to her, the Mayor's daughter as probable Slayers; it seems to be my destiny at this point to somehow create an army of Slayers. So gentlemen, as the Watchers have committed acts of terror on American soil, do you rectify the situation by acquiescence in my strong recommendations?"
"Five Slayers, dad?" the duke sighed in amazement, "How do you manage these situations?"
"I don't know, Jacky," Xander said, "And that doesn't include the other Slayer called?"
"What!" Giles interrupted, "Another?"
"Yes, Rupert, I overheard that when Kendra died as an Immortal, Dawn felt the Slayer presence, then when she ran herself similarly up a sword, someone else was called, Darla dressed as Buffy but that was before any deaths, Cordelia an hour or so after Dawn, so likely there should be another Slayer out there somewhere…and as the Council is used to only one, I'll repeat my assertion of primacy over the others."
"You should have a trained Watcher for each of them, Your Grace," Sir David Chase asserted, using Xander's title from the previous incarnation, "And I offer my services in this matter as Cordelia is my family, as was Alice, and the two of us were of at least passing acquaintance then. Also, if Ms. Post recovers from her injuries, she seems to have some magical knowledge and such, and perhaps a female presence might reassure the Slayers somewhat."
"Acceptable, and while I understand you'll be reporting to the Council, I'll expect copies as well," Xander responded, holding out his hand, "And no Cruciamentum."
"Agreed," the Council Members past and present determined, each quietly spiting Quentin Travers and his ilk.
Xander woke at around six in the morning, having dosed off after Jedi meditation that removed most fatigue. The school coalesced as the main recovery center in Sunnydale, the generators lasting until three, when Rory and Adam showed up with a tanker truck of fuel that they used to keep things going, minimal light, but the cafeteria kept operational. All the bodies and pieces were gathered, mainly by SWAT, and placed into a milk delivery truck that was soon appropriated and its contents taken to the kitchen while the deceased filled the vacancy in the refrigerated truck.
Xander and Adam looked up at the approach of two buzzes, looking at the other in curiosity as the doors opened.
"Adam!" the Scotsman exclaimed, "What's going on and why are we here?" followed in by a petite woman in high heels and small dress.
"Macleod, Amanda, do come in, I have quite the tale for you," Adam/Methos responded, "Involving this being a world where before last night Immortals don't seem to have existed, and so no Game. We're a television show at best."
"You're kiddin' me, right?"
"No I'm not, and unless we want to return to our world and the Game, we're normal folks without money here," he said shaking his head, then proceeded to fill them in.
"Hey guys!" Buffy called into the library after her and Angel came back from a daybreak patrol, "Our houses were all destroyed last night!"
"Crap!" Xander remarked, "I so didn't want to stay in sweats all day. Anything survive?"
"No," Angel remarked, "the damage is total, those other commandos seemed to have either tripped things, or blown up the places to ensure our elimination, so it isn't the Watchers."
"I should say not," Xander's son asserted, looking dignified even in custodian's coveralls, "We were here to bring you back into the fold…"
"Anybody's…"
"Jenny Calendar's seemed to be intact from the address we were given, though the buildings next door had had minor fires, even Hondo's was hit," Angel said, "So we're looking at rebuilding from the ground up."
"I'll have Andrew look at the accounts if he's able, he lost two friends and a brother last night, and we'll head out in a few minutes to check on that Crawford Street property we managed to get transferred over yesterday afternoon," Xander sighed, finance not being part of his experience, "and if all else fails we'll clear out space at one of the hotel properties, I think there's one in Santa Barbara and another in Ventura."
"Anybody get a chance to get a television up and running?" Hondo asked, "The emergency channels seem overloaded in our area, and the phones are still out."
"In the teacher's lounge," Xander said, "I sent Uncle Jim and Giles to check on it. Everybody else is either asleep or rotating into kitchen duty."
"Xander, it looks like most of Sunnydale's houses are okay where we looked, but there was smoke from the business district and the highway," Buffy remarked, "And some buildings look like they simply fell in from the earthquakes. I don't know what we can do now that the sun's up…"
"Take a nap or get some food, Buff, we still have a bunch o' refugees to take care of, and we want to make sure we have Wills put all of their names on the school web site as soon as she can. We don't want anybody wandering around tonight if we can reunite them during the daylight."
"Got it," she said, then stopped, "Hey Xan?"
"Yeah, little sis?"
"I don't know when you ended up in control…but I think it's a good thing."
"Thanks, Buff, that means a lot coming from you."
"Hey, it's what sisters are for…"